Smile
by Humanoid8
Summary: Sometimes a smile can mean more than wrods or pictures. AudreyXTed Once-lerXStef OC
1. Chapter 1

******I do NOT own any of the characters except Stefanie Wiggins.  
All the other characters belong to Dr. Seuss**

* * *

**Chapter 1  
****I am only 4 **** -(Ted's POV)**_**-**_

_"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Dr. Seuss_

I got home with my shirt covered in blue, yellow and red paint. I had been playing with Audrey all morning. It was strange, since mom always asked Stef to take care of me in the morning while our parents were at work. I was expecting my big sister to be home from school for lunch break any minute. She should have been in the kitchen.

"Are you sure she's home?" Audrey asked as she was walking into the house with me.

"She should be. See the little arrow is pointing to the number 30, so she should be." I said proudly. Dad had started to teach me how to count.

"That's the number 12, Ted." Audrey laughed.

All I could do was pout. After all, I am just 4 and I can only count to 8. Audrey was only 1 year older than me, yet she was very smart. She could even write her full name without looking! She would for sure be a doctor. I lead us to the kitchen, as I suspected my sister was there.

"Hey, what did I tell you about wandering off like that?" Stef looked at us with a frown, but just as quickly as it came, it was gone, and she smiled again. "Hello Ted… and Audrey. Are you hungry?"

"Hello." Audrey smiled.

"Yes, I am starving. What did you make?" I asked, climbing onto the chair.

"Mom left some food in the fridge. But before any of you get to eat, you must wash up. Look at the two of you!" My sister chuckled.

I looked at Audrey and giggled at the sight of her shirt covered in paint.

"Sorry, Ted and I were painting." Audrey explained.

"I would like to se-" Stef was cut off by mom walking in alongside my dad.

"Ted, go take Audrey to her house please." Mom asked me. Her eyes were red and her voice was shaky, I knew she'd been crying. She was always crying. Always.

"Okay mommy. Come on Audrey." I held my friend's hand and led her out of the house and across the road. Our street was very quiet and cars hardly passed by. If they did, though, they'd drive past very slowly, that's why everyone always played on the street.

When I got back home, Dad was already walking out. He stopped at my sight and kneeled down to look at me.

"Listened up Theodore. I know you and your sister have been through a lot. I know me and your mum haven't been… well …in good terms. What am I saying is, you are only 4. Ted, I love you. I will always love you. You are my son and I wish there were another way, but this is what's best for you kids. I hope when you grow up, you find the strength to forgive me and understand that in this world, things aren't always perfect. Some things will never turn out the way you want." He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and took a deep breath "And if they do, it will take a lot of determination and hard work for it to happen." He added.

All I could do was nod. I couldn't understand what he meant, but I had a bad feeling in my tummy that told me something very bad was about to happen. Dad got up at walked in to grab a suitcase.

"Are you going on a trip, daddy?" I asked, following him to the car.

"I..I guess so," he mumbled. Dad quietly shoved the bag in the backseat, and turned around to look at me. "I'm sorry son." He patted my head.

"Sorry for what?" I asked, staring at the odd look in his expression. A heavy silence filled the air around us; it was so thick it was almost hard to breath.

"I wont be coming back," he finally spoke. He then looked at the door and sighed. "I am sorry," he repeated it.

"W-what? Why?...What do you mean not coming back? Daddy?" I began to freak out, I turned to follow his gaze and I saw mom standing at the door with 2 pink bags.

"I am going to live in another house." Dad replied, and walked toward Mom to get the bags from her. When she turned her head to the side, I knew she was mad.

"It's the only way." Dad whispered to me.

"NO ITS NOT! How do you think your son is going to react to this?" Mom yelled.

"He is a young man, he will grow up." Dad glanced at me, and suddenly I began to realise what was happening. Those pink bags belonged to my sister. Was she going to a new house, too? Was I coming as well? I walked into the house and began looking for Stef.

"Stef? Stef?" I cried. Maybe dad was going to take us camping to the other side of town where there was a big park and plastic tents for rent. He had promised to take us out and maybe this trip was it.

"Ted…."

I turned to find Stef standing in front of her room. She was carrying a small picture, one I had made for her with pasta at Audrey's house for her 10th birthday last year. She looked almost sad. Almost numb. Why would she look like that if we were going on a trip with dad?

"Whats wrong? Are you scared of sleeping in the park? It will be fun, you can sleep next to me." I smiled. Whenever I was scared she would always sleep with me, this time it would be my turn to make my sure my big sister was not scared. I could finally be a big boy. After all I am 4!

"No…Ted…It's…it's.." She stopped and took a deep breath, then smiled. "I am going to go live with dad at the southern part of town. I will be able to go to college there."

"South…? Isn't that really far?" I asked, remembering all those pictures books I saw at the library about Thneedvile.

"Yes, it's in the furthest part of town…. But its also very popular for its schools." She kept the smile on her lips.

"You and dad… what about me and mom?" I asked as reality began to kick in. Dad's speech… How he kept saying sorry… the bags… "You're leaving me and Mom behind?" I asked nervously.

"Y-Yes." Stef looked down at the picture. "Well I must go. Dad wants to leave before 1." She walked past me, still smiling.

Was she mocking me? Was she making fun of me? She had to be, it had to be a prank. It had to be.

She never once cried. Never. She was always smiling. It's so hard to tell when she's sad because she is _always_ smiling. Always. Always. ALWAYS!

I fell to the ground, feeling as the tears ran down my cheeks. I was, and still am, a crybaby. Maybe that was the reason why they were leaving. Maybe they didn't like me anymore. And Stef? Maybe she is tired of having to take care of me or maybe she is mad because I keep waking her up.

But she couldn't leave, she promised everything was going to be okay, and that smile, it always made me feel better. Why was she doing this? Why?

I got back up on my feet and ran out of the door, bumping past mom, who was crying against the wall entrance.

"Why? WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME?" I yelled. "Why are you breaking your promi-" In my rush, I tripped on the last step, falling flat on my face. I was in pain, but the agonizing heartache within me was stoping the whines form escaping.

"Why are you leaving? You said you wou-" Again, I was cut off, but this time it was by the familiar strong arms around me; my sister's familiar embrace.

"Listen, you can't cry. Now that I am leaving, you have to step in and be there for mom, you need to smile for her when she is crying, you have to hug her when she sleeps and is scared. Okay Ted? I will come back to see you again someday. But until then Ted, try not to cry, because if you smile, it's a way of saying 'its alright, I am here with you.'" She smiled and then leaned back to look at me. I was still crying, but I managed to nod and a small smile began to form on my lips. "She will need you. She is going to be very alone, so please, take good care of her. Also, take care of Audrey. Even though she is older than, she is just a girl and just as scared as you will be." Stef kissed my forehead and helped me up.

"I-I will. I promise." I smiled, determined to keep this promise not only to my sister, but to all those that would be looking to me for support. I am just 4, but now I would have to act much older, and I won't cry. I will save all my tears for when Stef and Dad come back. I will save every last drop for their return.

"Good boy. I love you and I am counting on you to keep things in order around here." She smiled and began to walk toward the car.

I saw them drive off until they were gone. I took a deep breath and wiped my tears. Across the road, I saw Audrey standing on the sidewalk, tears in her eyes. She must have heard. She must be scared.

When she finally looked up, her orange hair was the only colour on her face. She was so white… Like a ghost. I sighed, held out my hand, and waited for her to walk to me. She began to cry harder. I hugged her, and when she finally calmed down enough to look at me, I did what my sister did best. I smiled. A reassuring, faithful smile. The best one I could pull. Yes, I might not have 2 teeth, but it worked because she smiled back.

I held her hand and we walked into the house. Mom was there, staring into space, leaning against the wall.

"I am sorry Ted, I am so, so sorry." She mumbled.

"Its okay."

Her eyes snapped up to look at me standing in front of her. She was surprised, even if I couldn't tell why, I could still see she had seen something in me. I smiled. I smiled so wide, my cheeks began to hurt. I held my one empty hand out and took hers in it.

"Everything will be okay. " I added.

My Dad and sister might be gone, but I couldn't be selfish to think that I was alone and that this world was the worse place I could be in. I couldn't make my Mom feel guilty, nor Audrey feel like she'd lost both her closest friends. I had to stand my ground and smile. Because a smile is worth a lot of words, and with all the other people around me, I will learn to count just how many words a smile is worth.

And the day Stef and Dad come back, I will cry happy tears, I will cry and then smile so my sister can finally cry for once. I will be older so then I will be able to understand.

After all, right now, I am only 4.


	2. Chapter 2

**I do NOT own any of the characters except Stefanie Wiggins.  
All the other characters belong to Dr. Seuss**

* * *

**Chapter 2  
****Painting a Dream ****-(Audrey's POV)**_**-**_

_"Be yourself because those who matter don't mind and those who mind don't matter." Dr. Seuss  
_

"Come on, come on, come on legs, don't quit on me now. Come on!" Though I'm out of breath, I refuse to be late. After all, if I am late, even for 3 minutes, Regina will hold it over my head and next time we meet she'll be twice as late.

But it's not my fault. Ted's ball ended up in my backyard again, and this time it was really hard to find it. The problem is, though I have a real excuse, this is another thing I can't let Regina hold above my head. Last time, a classmate held me back because I had to hand him over some notes, Regina decided to assume he was my new boyfriend.

I giggled to myself. The poor kid had a girlfriend and he was new.

I reached the library and saw she was by the door on her phone.

"I am here! I AM HERE!" I laughed, gasping for air.

"2 minutes late, Audrey. I could have died of boredom! Hahaha, come on." She threw a bottle of water at me. That's the good thing about her, she's reliable and a great friend.

"I'm sorry. Did you bring the papers?" I looked at her as we stepped into the building, automatically lowering my voice.

"Yes. Here, and I took the liberty to ask for the books while waiting for Ms. Unpunctuality." Regina teased.

"Tsk, 2 minutes!" I elbowed her side. We made our way to the furthest table in the library, our usual table. It was so far back, we could talk normally without disturbing other people. Of course from time to time, we would hear someone say "ssshhhhhhh!" and we'd giggle and lower our volume.

Personally I loved the library. There were so many books, a new discovery in every piece of paper. Now that I remember, I finished my last book so I should get a new one.

"Hey, I'm talking to you!" Regina waved her hand in front of my face, bringing me back from my thoughts.

"Huh? Sorry I was distracted." I apologised.

"Go figure. Look, I found his bibliography so now we can answer questions 1 to 5. Now we need to work on our personal opinion about the town and things that can be improved," she explained, pointing at the assessment sheet.

"I see, that's good, half of our work is done already. As for the second part? Air, air is what should be improved. Dad's coughing has turned worse…" My voice broke, and my hands started to shake on my lap. Trying with every fibre in my body, I held back and gripped the rim of my dress. "Also they should fix the trees around school, they really need repair." I added.

"Hey, everything will be alright. It's probably just allergies. We are in spring, after all." Regina reached out to pat my shoulder. I smiled and turned my head back to my work.

We had both been working rather quietly for almost an hour when a sigh finally broke the silence.

"I ammm sooooo bored! I don't know why we need to learn about the mayor. I mean come on! If I wanna be a doctor, this is not going to help me! 'Sorry Ms. Marvin your husband has a bad case of lack-of-info-about-the-mayor. The best way to treat it is to make him read about the mayor twice a day for the next 2 months.'" She mocked before letting her head fall to her hands as she yawned.

"Sounds like a terrible disease. I wouldn't want to be diagnosed with it, so let's finish this up." I laughed, turning the page over to read the text while searching for an answer.

"I bet it wouldn't be as bad as being diagnosed with crush-on-primary-boy." Regina held her serious face until she finally burst out laughing as I turned red.

"What are you talking about? Wait, you mean Ted? …Regie I told you before, he's jus-"

"-Just a childhood friend," she finished my sentence. "I know what you've told me, but I also know what you feel. It's written on your face, just like the words in this book. He's what, 10?"

"12, and you know why I'm so kind to him? You don't know what we… he went through. You have no idea-" I stopped as I noticed the bitter tone in my voice. "Sorry," I murmured and went back to work again.

"Audrey, you have to stop feeling so responsible for that kid! He is always finding excuses to go see you; he needs to understand you are 13 now. You are in high school and you have other responsibilities, like not getting lack-of-info-about-the-mayor." She smiled. "You need to talk to him. Either you are yourself or you are not. You are not his sister. You are just a friend, so stop acting so much older when you are around him." Regina finished looking at me, searching for a response, for an answer to why I always did this.

It was true. Since Stef left, Ted had become more absent. In one day, he'd gone from being 4 to being 9. He took care of his mother when she started drinking, and when she went into depression, he took care of me whenever I got hurt or I was home alone. Ted never had a normal childhood, and while he was so busy being a father, a son, a daughter, a friend… while he was so busy taking care of everyone else, he forgot to take care of him. Until… until the day when he collapsed and refused to wake up. He went into a coma because of exhaustion. For a 7 year old to be diagnosed with that at such a small age, it really hit hard on his mom and me. On that day, I promised myself it was my turn to take care of him, there had to be someone taking care of him.

In a way, I tried to be the replacement of his sister.

"I have to be mature, he needs someone to turn to if something happens," I finally gave her a response. It came out flatly, almost as if untrue. I didn't have to do it… I wanted to.

"Don't be surprised if you find out he doesn't want you as a sister," Regina replied, just as emotionless. I didn't know what she meant by that, but it sounded like a warning; as if she knew something I didn't.

We went into a mutual silence. Neither made an attempt to corrupt each other's focus and so we finished our work after 2 hours.

"Maaaann, now I think I have a bad case of too-much-info-about-the-mayor." Regina stretched as she began to pack her stuff. Her eyes scanned my face, and a frown formed in her feminine facial features. "I am sorry if I sounded mean, it's just… I know you don't act like yourself around Ted… it seems wrong."

"I know… but I feel responsible." I packed my stuff and got up. "Do you want to go down to the cafe to get lunch? It's almost 5."

"Sorry, I told my mom I would help her with dinner tonight, and you know that by dinner I mean I have to go down to the market, buy everything fresh or else she will refuse to cook." Regie rolled her eyes and leaned in to hug me. "Next time, I will be late by 4 minutes, I might not be good in maths but I know how to add numbers together. Be glad I am not telling you something like 2 plus 2 equals 14!" She chuckled and waved as she began to walk down the street.

I met Regina in high school. It was weird because we became really close almost instantly. She always managed to make me laugh, and somehow she always knew when something was wrong. Like I said, she was dependable. Someone I could trust.

I walked back into the library, came to the centre and looked around to check for people. No one. I took a deep breath and, like usual, I twirled as many times as the number of the day. 16. When I came to a full stop, my head was dizzy and suddenly I was really glad that I hadn't eaten anything since lunch, because I could swear I was going to throw up. I looked ahead and saw the name of the area I was facing. 'History.'

Ever since I'd gotent my own library card, I have been doing this routine; choosing a category by spinning as many times as the number of the day. I got stared at a couple of times, but it was worth it. Unfortunately today, I had to disagree. Usually, I would end up staring into the science-fic, romance, or horror areas. Today, History had decided to torment me.

"History it is." I walked into the narrow alley between the numerous shelfs of books. Let's see. '"How about we go for a Q? No, I went for Q 3 weeks ago. How about… H?" I stared at the books, and suddenly Regina's words came to mind _'Don't be surprised if you find out he doesn't want you as a sister.' _I knew I could never replace Stef, but I wasn't trying to fill in her shoes… I was simply a substitute, a close friend who cared a lot about him, who wanted to protect him and take care of him. Ted….. "I know, let's try T!" I announced excitedly. I came across T quiet easily.

All the books were so old, and those that looked more recent were so dull, no one would ever read this. I picked up 3 of the most captivating books. "Thneedville's Electric System." Wow, I'm beginning to question my own idea of captivating. Next! " Thneedville's Trees." Well… maybe I could find out how to fix the trees at school.

I opened the book and a thick layer of dust hit my face. I noticed a small piece of paper sticking out from the corner of the book. As I began to pull it out, I saw it was a pamphlet, a very old looking pamphlet, maybe over 50 years old. It had strange looking things, black and white sticks coming out of the ground with puffy fairy-floss-looking stuff on the top. Orange, purple, yellow and even pink! They actually looked beautiful. I began to read the small writing next to it.

"The Truffula trees are the secret ingredient for Thneeds, the soft tufts of the trees are softer than silk, and the sweet smell of butterfly milk is what makes the Thneeds so likable and human-friendly."

So those are trees… could they be real? Plastic doesn't have a smell other than… well... plastic. And there is no way anything in town feels softer than silk! I turned the paper and continued reading. Where were they from, and what were they made off? How did they grow? I read it over and over at least 8 times, and even if 8 times was way too many times, I read it some more couple of times. The images of trees were engraved in my head.

I wanted to see one, I wanted to touch one. Heck I wanted to see one grow!

I placed the book back into place and ran home, still holding the pamphlet in my hand. I would return the paper, but for now, I was too excited to even stop staring at it.

It should be around 6, but that gave me plenty of time to draw this magnificent… tree!

I squeezed my eyes, trying as hard as I could to go back to sleep. Those trees! If they were a dream, I didn't want to wake up. Almost instantly I realised that it hadn't been a dream. My bedroom floor was covered with papers, sketches of the trees; small ones, big ones, so many colours! I giggled and got dressed. The world needed this much colour, the world needed to know how extraordinary the Truffula trees really were. I started to paint my bedroom walls. Trees were everywhere but… it wasn't right.

Something was missing. Trees weren't meant to be kept inside. They needed air. THE HOUSE!

"Dad! Dad!" I ran down stairs.

"What's the matter Audrey? I'm in the kitchen!" He called out.

"Dad? Can I paint the house outside? The walls, it would look so good! Please, please, please!" I begged.

"Audrey…I ... I don't know, you should ask your mother once she comes one from work. Okay?" He didn't even look up from his newspaper.

"Buuut Dad, please." I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. "I could paint the back walls, mom has been asking you to paint them." A smile crossed my face as he finally put down his newspaper.

"What has gotten into you? Why are you so motivated to paint all of a sudden? You haven't painted anything ever since Te-"

"That's just it! Motivation dad! Motivation is what has gotten me. I feel so inspired, so excited to finally have something good to paint! A great idea! Please dad." I pleaded again.

"Fine. Fine. Whatever makes you happy." He gave in. In return I reached out, hugged him again, and kissed his head.

I don't remember ever being so excited about something. I had buckets of paints, 3 brushes and a ladder, but right now everything seemed perfect. The moment was right and so was the place. Outside… the place for a tree to grow. I spent the rest of my day painting nonstop. I was so busy, I didn't know my parents had been watching until I went in for dinner and my mom began to tear up at how happy I looked.

The next morning, it was the same thing, trying to go back to the dream. Of course that was until reality hit me, and this time, so did the pain. My arms went numb, each movement more painful than the last. Thankfully, I had finally finished the painting.

I made my way down to the backyard and lay in the grass, staring at my personal masterpiece. I began giggling to myself like an idiot. I had just painted a dream! I lay there for a long moment, staring at the colourful walls. Peaceful. It was quiet, relaxing, and very heavenly. Until a strange sound disrupted my meditation, followed by the doorbell.

Dad had left for work early with mom today, so I was alone, maybe one of them forgot something. But today, nothing could bring me down. NOTHING. Plus, deep down, I knew there was only one person that rang the doorbell like that, and I couldn't help but smile in anticipation.

"Did your ball end up in my backyard again, Ted?" I asked kindly as the door swung open, revealing the younger boy. He gave me a shrug and smiled, giving me a new excuse to what and how his new toy ended in my property, but today I was too excited, and I couldn't hold myself together anymore. I wanted him to see my dream. I wanted him to be part of it, to know about it! He was the one person that deserved some colour in his life.

"Wanna see something cool?" I laughed, grabbing his hands and bringing him to my house.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3  
****Disappointment ****(Once-ler's POV)**_**-**_

_"All alone! Whether you like it or not, alone is something you'll be quite a lot!"_ Dr. Seuss

I gave it my all. I tried my best and yet she still looked at me with the same old disappointed look. It hurts being let down, its agonising when your family even refuses to acknowledge you after you have lost everything. You would think that your family would always be there for you, but the truth is they aren't. Just like friends, they turn their back on you when shit gets complicated.

At least with me it was like that.

I looked down to the letter once again; a piece of paper I had received 4 months ago. The last letter I ever received was from a town in the very Far East, saying my last brother had died. I am now the last decedent of my family. My very dysfunctional family.

Now I surely won't hear a word from anyone. I am alone. And the closest thing I have to a friend is silence and emptiness.

It's ironic, to think I once had it all, and now I have nothing.

To be fair, I still have a couple of hundred thousand dollars for selling my idea of Thneedville to a short nerdy guy. But what's money worth when you have no one to share it with?

**"You've got me? That old green suit could use some remedying. You could go to MY town and buy a new suit. Heck you could buy the fucking town back and then you wouldn't be so alone. Stop complaining already!"**

Remember how I said I was alone? Well if I was wrong let me introduce you to someone, the only person whom has stayed with me since I was 7: Greed.

"You know I don't want to get out of here." I answered, speaking into the emptiness of what once was a mansion.

**"Tsk, wimp! Just because you wanna starve your social life, doesn't mean I gotta do it, too! I miss some company, no offence." **He remarked with a humble tone.

"Non taken. I can't leave; if the Lorax comes I have to be here! You of all peo …thing …YOU know it better than anyone. Plus, what would people say if they found out about the trees, huh?"

**"Nothing! You know why? Because EVERYONE IS FUCKING DEAD! You are like… 150 years old!" **He was starting to get mad; Greed was always a short-tempered thing… pers …GREED!

"76," I corrected him.

**"Well it feels like longer when you don't have a fucking calendar!"**

"I am sorry okay… but I can't leave. This is my jail. This is my sentence for all my wrong doing, and if it means I will be here until I die, then so be it!" I sat on my bed and looked at the refection in the mirror. I had been locked in this house for the past 55 years. It was time I came to terms with my destiny.

"Greed?"

**"Huh?"**

"What happens to you if I die? I do believe I have never asked you this. Right?" I lied down.

**"I am you, so I die too, you idiot.I am nothing more than the personalities and emotions you locked down." ** Greed said quietly, almost sleepily.

"I don't recall being greedy." I sighed

**"Exactly." **He chuckled, almost as if calling me dumb… again.

"Sometimes I feel like you are my imaginary friend." I giggled.

**"Tsk, I may be imaginary but I am NOT your friend kid."** He mumbled.

I closed my eyes and began to fall into deep relaxation… a deep… sleep.

"_Once-ler, could you go tell your dad that we need a new cleaner? And for gods sake, please stop it with your inventions! You will get dirt on the floor. Plus, no girl will ever want to marry you if you do those stupid things." Mom looked at me disappointment written across her eyes as she watched my brand new invention, The Snuzzel. It is meant to stick materials for you automatically… it just needed some tweaking._

"_Okay mom," I got up, grabbed my stuff, and walked out. "Dad?" I called out, walking into the shed. He was fixing his old guitar, since I had accidently broken 2 of the cords._

"_Once-ler? What is it? Don't tell you-" He stopped and looked at the objects in my hands. "Is that your new invention? Wanna show it to me?" He smiled brightly, taking his cap off and placing it aside as he sat to watch me assemble the Snuzzel together. _

"_It's meant to do all the sticking for you. You know how the wagon needs sticking constantly? It always takes so long and then the material is so hard to stick. So yeah." I grabbed two pieces of fabric and placed them over a tube. The machine turned on and began to work, but then it caught on fire and spat oil on the two of us. "AUUURRRGGGHH! AGAIN!" _

"_Relax kido." Dad chuckled, wiping the oil off his face._

"_Mom wants you to hire a new cleaner." I mumbled, picking up an old wrench and starting to reap my failed excuse of an invention._

"_Does she have any idea th-" _

_I looked up and saw dad smiling. He stared at me for a while and then grabbed his cap and placed it on his head. _

"_Once-ler, how is it, you manage to have so much patience? I mean where do you get it from? All this dedication and determination. I am a quieter, and your mom only takes advantage of people…lets not talk about your brothers or uncles…Tell me son… How is it this family was blessed with someone like you?" Dad asked, mostly to himself. "When you have the chance, you run away, son. Don't let us drag you down, someday you will be famous and rich and have everything you ever wished for."_

"_Come on, dad, be realistic! And our family might be messed up, but family is family. We'll always be here for each other." I smiled._

"_You are just 13. Far too young to understand life."_

My eyes opened with the sound of thunder. The room was pitch black, but black had been a colour I had grown familiar with. A colour that hafd become part of me. He was right about someday being famous and rich… but what he hadn't told me was that every super star has its downfall.

**"Dreaming about the day your Dad died again?" **Greed murmured.

"Yeah.I think that was the only time I saw Mom cry.."

**"Or show any emotion other than greed or disappointment." **He snapped back.

"Mmhhmm." I mumbled.

"**Hey, just now I thought about the perfect job for you!"**

"And what might that be? Start an organisation called green peace to save the poor misfortune animals?"

**"Hahaha, Green sounds good. Peace?...Not so much… I don't see myself saving freaking panda bears. Anyways, a priest."**

"What? Why?"

"**VVVVVVIIIIIIRRRGGGIIINNN!"**

"No I am not!" I cried out, embarrassed.

**"…"**

He was right. I grew up in a farm, my dad taught me everything I know: how to write, read, play guitar, and take care of myself. I never had much time to adventure out, especially after Dad passed away. Then I became way too busy. My life was an endless task after the other. And when I did have time to stop and relax, something new would pop up.

No time for love and se…intercourse…

"SHUT UP! I WAS TOO BUSY LETTING YOU RULE THE WORLD!"

**"Excuses," **Greed teased.

"Okay okay… change subject, let's go watch the storm."

**"You haven't even kissed a chick before."**

"I SOO HAVE!"

**"By chick I mean female not those weird looking bird babies… wait… I still can't believe you kissed a fucking bird!"**

"Well I would have… If I had showed up for the date." I looked out the window into the grey clouds.

**"Ohhh yesss, Norma! Hahaha you never showed up! Hahaha disaster! That, Once-ler, that was a big disappointment." **Greed cracked up laughing. Personally, I too felt disappointed. I had let down the only person who ever took interest in me, Norma. I met her while selling Thneeds… I failed at that…but on the other hand I got a date with the most beautiful girl I had ever seen and on the same day I was meant to meet with her, but a bunch of people showed up at the forest with a load of money and asked for Thneeds…

Then, just like every other time in my life, I got too busy for those kinds of things… Love and relationships, I mean. Thinking back to her. Her long wavy chocolate hair. Her big brown eyes. I haven't seen her since. Maybe she got married and had kids? Maybe she even has grand kids.

I heard the cry of crows and a faded rumbling sound…a small light headed in the direction on my house.

"Wait. No one is meant to come around this area. No one. It's out of bounds!" I cursed myself, turning the light on to try and clarify it wasn't just an illusion.

**"FINALLY A RESCUE TEAM! FINALLY!" **The demon inside me cheered.

I stared as a small boy drove into the front yard of my property.

**"A FUCKING KID? SERIOUSLY! LORAX IF YOU ARE DOING THIS I WILL PLANT A TREE SO FAR UP YO-"**

"Shhhhh!" I complained, observing the boy. Was he crazy? What could a kid be doing out here, in the middle of nowhere? Outside of town. Where were this boy's parents?

He rang the bell and Greed almost died laughing, yelling in my head "show time show time." The kid got thrown in the air, tossed, pulled up and God knows what else until my 'security' machine brought him up to my window.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" I yelled, trying to sound as intimidating as possible. Doesn't this kid know how dangerous it is to wonder off? Doesn't he know that he might get into a lot of trouble?

"Trees…I want to know about the trees." He struggled.

**"HA! GREEEAATT AND HOW DOES HE EVEN KNOW ABOUT THE FREAKING TREES."**

"I didn't think anyone still cared about trees.." Was all I could manage to say, still a bit too shocked to find out a person outside of town was doing all this for trees. Was he for real? Did he wreck rick his own life for the trees?

"W-WELL THAT'S ME! THE GUY WHO STILL CARES!" He cried out.

I stared at him, and for the first time in a very long time, I didn't SEE disappointment written across a person's eyes when looking at me. Wait…those eyes… have I seen them before?


	4. Chapter 4

The characters used in this fanfic belong to Dr. Seuss.

* * *

**Chapter 4 ****  
****Responsibilities ****-(Stef's POV)**_**-**_

_"Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple." _Dr. Seuss

_"Why are you leaving?"_ The pain in his voice had made a shiver run down my spine. I hadn't seen my brother in over 9 years, 6 months and 185 days. He must be a young handsome boy by now. Still, as much as I tried to picture him smiling, happy and full of life, I felt guilty. I knew that the part of that cheerful 4 year old I used to know so well was gone. He'd lost half of his family at once, and on the same day I asked of him something that seems rather stupid now.

For my own sake, I made my baby brother swear not to cry. I left him broken hearted, and with a burden no child should carry. But I blame my mom and dad. Ever since Ted was born, fights began to rise. Mom could no longer be at home and allow the family to rely on Dad's income. Now with two kids, she also needed to work to make enough money. Then Dad began to overdo it. Working late hours, getting home stressed and tired. It started off with a fight every week, but then as Ted got older and responsibilities increased, the fights grew daily, almost as if it were part of our messed up routine.

The countless times mom would come into my room and just sit on my bed crying. Back then, I used to braid her hair or simply play with it until she fell asleep and got a decent nap. Dad would often just collapse on his bed fully clothed, sometimes he wouldn't even take his shoes off so I would sneak into his room to take them off for him and cover him with a blanket. By the age of 2, Ted began to pick up on all the fights and he would hide in the laundry while the washing machine was on; the noise from it would block the screams and yells. It was there where we spent most of our afternoons, drawing and playing while the adults fought over stupid things in the kitchen.

Then, we meet our neighbour, Audrey; or Orange as Ted nicknamed her, since he couldn't pronounce her name. Thinking back to those times… such a long, long time ago, I still manage to be thankful. I had the world's best brother and the world's best friend, my parents were very kind and loving, but looking back now, there were fights that could be avoided; such as the time when they fought because Grandma Norma was going to be staying with us. Dad could had been nice and said yes. He should have!

Now? Now dad works from 9 to 4 and from 4 to 9 he is at his girlfriend's place. He's been dating her for the past 5 years, and at first I used to blame him for keeping me here when he had a lover. How could he even do this to mom? But he was right when he'd said, "You are too young to understand." It had taken me a while to figure out the reason why he kept me around; he wanted something permanent, something that he could never stop loving, a part of him that would always stay by his side even when things were bad. He wanted a piece of the family he had.

But deep down, my family was with my mom and brother, and Audrey, too. Dad now had bonds with another person and soon they would start a family and I would just be the child from his ex-wife.

That's why today I had to ask him. I had been going around this for the past 6 months. Ever since he'd proposed to Annabel. Dad had met her at work, she was the sister of his colleague and he kind of set them up together. She is 3 years younger than dad, long brown hair and big green eyes. She is rather beautifully and also quite nice, but she has always treated me awkwardly. She tries too hard around me, always trying to make it seems like we are the best of friends and we get along very well. To be honest, it kinda weirds me out.

I want to go live with mom.

I had to ask, maybe even beg. But I had to.

It was 14 past 9 and he should be getting home. Unless, like it often happened, he would just sleep at Anna's house. Still, I waited.

I had a few more months before the end of High School, so maybe if I was persuasive enough, I could get him to say yes.

By the time he got home, it was already 10:30.

"Hey Stefanie." He smiled, taking his shoes off as he fell back onto the couch in front of me.

"Hey dad… how was work?" I asked.

"Same old, same old." He waved his hand "How was school?"

"Same old, same old." I mocked.

"Are you making fun of me?" His gaze fell on me and before I knew it, he chuckled. "Come on tell your ol' Dad what happened at school."

"Well, would you like to know about Mr. O'Hare's family background? His mother was actually the own-"

"Okay, okay. Fine… change of subject." He cut me off. "Anna wanted to know if you would go dress hunting with her this weekend."

"Wedding dress hunting, you mean?"

"Yes… she wants me to drop you off at her house by 10, there will be someone coming to her with a few catalogue dresses, and she wants you to help her pick one." Dad explained.

"Doesn't she have… like… friends to do that with?"

"Come on, Stefanie, she is just trying to get to know you, don't be so harsh." He rubbed his eyes and leaned forward. "Plus, she might ask you to be a bride's maid." He smiled, hoping for a positive response, but all I could do was sigh.

"Dad, the wedding is meant to be next year, remember? She wanted her sister to be there and she can only come next year… Why is she picking dresses now?"

**"TELL HIM NOW!" **A voice in my head yelled. **"I AM NOT PICKING OUT DRESSES FOR THAT WHORE!"**

"Plus Dad… there is something I want to ask you."

"Yes, you can bring your boyfriend." He replied, shocking me.

"I…I don't have a boyfriend dad…." I mumbled.

"Then why do you seem so concerned about something? I'm sure Anna wouldn't mind. But I have to say, I would be quiet offended if you didn't introduce him to me before the wedding…" Dad continued. Sometimes, it felt as if he was pushing me out, as if he wanted me to move on with my life, but as soon as I took a step out of the nest he would shut the door right in my face and make up more rules. "Come on, in my time, the boy used to have to ask for the girls hand. Nowadays, you can just do wh-"

"Dad I wanna go live with mom."

"W-what?"

I was already regretting saying it; the frown on his face, the way his skin turned pale, almost as if he had seen a ghost. Damn it, I was already regretting it!

**"You dropped the bomb now you have declared war, so fight, soldier! FIGHT!" **The voice cried out again. For once, it was right, it was too late to turn back and just wave it off.

"You're getting married, you'll be living with Annabel! I don't want to be in the middle of you two. It'll be awkward. Plus, I'm finishing my studies, so please." I explained, hoping to God that everything would turn out okay.

"You wouldn't come inbetwee-"

"Dad, please!" I begged.

"But… Stef…"

OH NO! NO NO NO! Not the 'But… Stef.' The only time he'd called me by my nickname was when he was upset… too upset to say it all.

**"ITS A TRAP! IT'S A TRAP!"**

"When have I asked you for something? When have I ever let you down? Dad, for once, for once in your life, don't be so selfish!"

"I AM NOT SELFISH! DON'T BE LIKE YOUR MOTHER! I AM NOT SELFISH!" He jumped up and walked away.

"Then why are you keeping me in this hellhole? Waiting for you when you are out having fun with another woman?" I whispered just loud enough for him to hear me. When he stopped, I knew it had worked. I could see him turn, ready to yell something, but then he just sighed.

"Finish school… At the end of summer holidays, I will drive you down to your mother's." And with that, he walked away. His voice had sounded awfully low, almost as if it pained him to say it. I was sure it was hard. After all, I had spent my past 9 years with him.

But now that Dad had someone to take care of him, it was my chance to take back the responsibilities I handed over to Ted on the day that I left. I was the eldest after all, and now I had to assume that role and be the one to take care of my mother and brother.

Damn, I was looking forward to being the one to hand over that reassuring smile again.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5  
****Cliché**

"_Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way!" -_Dr Seuss

Ted was exhausted. His legs were numb from pain and his arms… well he felt like his arms had fallen off. He had been helping Once-ler plant trees in the outskirts of town during the weekend. Over the summer, he and the old man had grown close. Sometimes, he would even see him as a very, VERY old brother, a connection he had only had once with his sister. He found himself growing close to Once-ler; his stories, his adventures… everything. He had also met the Lorax, who automatically told him not to turn out like the old geezer of his friend. It had been fun… especially since they had been spotting barbaloots, birds, and even a few humming fish over the past month.  
But no matter how much pain Ted was in, he had to get up and go to school. After all, he was a man now… he was a _high schooler_. And at that moment, he was a very late high schooler.

"I WILL KILL THAT ASS!" Ted cursed as he tossed his old alarm clock in the bin while jumping into his pants. "And yet I listen to him! 'don't worry kid, I trust this with my life!'… Well since he trusts in this piece of junk so much, then I should return it to him… BY CHUCKING IT TOWARD HIS FACE!" He mocked, hurriedly putting on his shirt.

"Mr. Vomslot made me stay back yesterday. I don't know why he only makes me stay in at lunch when Joana was laughing too! So were you, and George and Thomas!" Regina rolled her eyes.

"Maybe likes you." Audrey wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive way. "He wants alone time with you, Regie." She added, bursting into laughter.

"Ha, ha! How funny! You seem really friendly with Mr. Adams, maybe you want some alone time with him." Regina mocked her friends' tone.

"He's my uncle!" Audrey made a disgusted face, which matched Regina's as she pictured it in her own mind.

Regina and Audrey met in front of O'Hare Park every day. It was where their streets intercepted with the school road. From there, there was only a 10 minute walk to their school gates, which is why it was their routine for every day of the week.

Audrey tuned out as she began to think about the problem that had been bothering her for the past 3 weeks. Ever since Ted had "saved the town" during spring, it had been well over 2 months since she'd stopped seeing him every day. In fact, she began to see him less and less during the summer, to the point where it had been 2 weeks since they'd last spoken. And when they did see each other, the only thing he would say before leaving would be 'sorry I've gotta go help Once-ler!' On top of that, as if it wasn't bad enough, she felt guilty, he had stopped paying attention to her, and part of her felt like it was because of the fact her ideas placed him in such danger. Maybe, deep down, he hated her…

Whenever they talked for longer than 3 minutes, he wouldn't stop talking about Once-ler, and that in itself, was another reason for her guilt. Ted talked about Once-ler like he used to talk about his sister: nonstop. Audrey was happy for him, she really was, but she had tried so hard to fill that gap in his life and every attempt at it had failed. Yet now, after a few weeks, she was being replaced by a man she herself didn't even know.

It was guilt… it was envy… Audrey wanted to be the one Ted wouldn't shut up about. She wanted to march to his house and demand an explanation to why she wasn't important anymore, why she felt so invisible when in concern to her childhood friend… still, she would not allow her mind to be consumed by such arrogant thoughts. This wasn't about her, it had never been… this was about Ted. She should be happy. No, she _had_ to be happy. Ted was finally acting like himself again, and Audrey had to be thankful and content about it.

A clap inches away from her nose brought her out of her deep thoughts.

"HEY, EARTH TO AUDREY, COME IN AUDREY!" Regina yelled in front of her. "Are you okay?" She added.

"Huh? Sorry, sorry, I was thinking about… what year 8 will be like. Sorry, what where you saying?" Audrey lied with a smile.

"Don't worry, it will be just like year 7 only stinkier with all the sweat from puberty." Regina laughed "Anyways, like I was saying, on my way here I ran into Mr. Maths-is-everything… He had this green vomit shirt on and I automatically started to laugh out loud on the street… he looked ridiculous! I could not resist! But then he turned around and somehow noticed and told me off. How come I get the weird neighbours?" The brunet complained.

"Hahaha, someday you will get in big trouble… BIGGER trouble than you've ever gotten in before! Even before that time when you decided to chuck half cooked pancakes at the ceiling." Audrey warned as both girls entered the school gates.

"Audrey? HEY, AUDREY!"

Audrey turned her head to where the noise was coming from and almost fell back, shocked, as she saw who it was. Ted was running towards her, red shirt with a navy blue long sleeve underneath and his usual jeans. He was now her height, but it wasn't much of a surprise; he was 13 going on 14 now, he was growing fast.

"I'm starting high school today. I guess I'll be seeing you every day now, huh?" Ted smirked, a small pink-ish tone colouring his cheeks.

Audrey's heart skipped a beat at the thought. "T-that will be so much fun!" She smiled, the same pink tone colouring her own cheeks.

Regina watched as the two talked, not interrupting but still observng them with a hint of amusement at how obvious everything seemed.

"You should come have lunch with us." Audrey suggested.

"Sure, I will see you during break then." The boy waved as he walked away.

"Bye..." Audrey's voice trailed off as she saw Ted walk away. Her cheeks were burning up and she felt dizzy.

"Soooo, _that's_ Ted, the guy who went to hell and back to find you a freaking seed?" Regina poked her friend's side, earning a small giggle.

"Y-yes..." Audrey smiled and nodded, her blush going into a deeper, blood-like red. He did do it all for her… she wasn't that naïve, at least not enough not to realise the fact.

"Are you sure that having lunch is all you two are going to be doing together?" Regina gave Audrey a friendly smile, she was onto them, even the cliché phrase of "a blind person could see they liked each other" was applicable in this situation. How could she not have seen this before? Maybe Regina could blame the fact that she'd never seen the two interact when she was around. But now that she knew… she was going to enjoy such an opportunity to torment her friend… in a good way, of course.


End file.
